In this special issue of DEMOS on the occasion of the European Population Conference 2018 articles on: retiring together, educational differences in longevity, timing of family formation and loneliness among older adults, migration decisions in Europe, and the position of migration research.

The oldest person ever was the Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122. Researchers at the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) and the University of Groningen (UG) claim that her record will be broken this century. The results of their research are published in Nature.

Taken by surprise: How older workers struggle with a higher retirement age

Until 2006 the Netherlands, like many other European countries, had a very strong “early retirement culture”. But that is history now. Early exit routes have been closed, and moreover, State Pension Age will increase to 67. Employees and employers need to change their perspectives on retirement in response to pension reforms that have taken place in quick succession.

United Nations projections assume that by the end of this century one third of the world population will live in India, China or Nigeria. While population growth in India will slow down and the population size of China will decline, population growth in Nigeria will accelerate. A new NIDI scenario projects less population growth in Nigeria and sharp population decline in China.

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NIDI is the national demographic institute of the Netherlands. With its leading scientific research of population issues the mission of NIDI is to contribute to the solution of societal challenges with a focus on migration and integration, labour market and social security, ageing and family relationships. Characteristic of NIDI is the inter­disciplinary and inter­national approach, and fostering of young research talent. NIDI is a research institute of the Royal Nether­lands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and is affiliated with the University of Groningen (UG).